Dawn is reading The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II. In it, the authors proffer that dairy and meat are bad for our health and should be omitted from our diets, and support their opinions with science. Now, those of you that know Dawn know that she’s already a quasi-vegetarian — she eats no beef, pork or lamb — but now she’s leaning toward following the authors’ recommendations and becoming “fully fledged”. That means no more chicken or turkey. What does it mean for me? Well, unless we want to be preparing separate meals, it looks like I’ll be joining her.

It doesn’t really bother me. I mean, I’m all for healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. In fact, we’ve already begun eating brown rice — processed foods, like white rice, are taboo — and an assortment of whole grains and organic fruits and vegetables. Most fish are “good” foods, too. And the vegetarian meals we’ve enjoyed so far have been great. However, the authors warn that some of the foods will take some getting used to since we’re not used to digesting them. The aforementioned brown rice comes immediately to mind. But we’re told that, after a couple of weeks, our bodies will be on track.

We’ve been grocery shopping at El Dorado Hills’ new Nugget Market and found their fresh veggies and fruits to be wonderful. And Randall Munroe came up with this funny yet handy Fruit Chart I’m using to help with fruit selection, so we’re off and running. I’ve reserved the right to enjoy an occasional steak or a good buffalo burger from time to time, but I’m giving this the old college try. I’ll keep you posted!

Not for the squeamish, the image below depicts what can happen when a bunch of otherwise “good eggs” gets together for a little innocent fun and, before they know it, things get out of hand…

Thanks James!

This May, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the most powerful particle accelerator yet created by humans, is scheduled to start smashing protons into each other with unprecedented impact speeds. The LHC will explore the leading explanation that mass arises from ordinary particles slogging through an otherwise invisible but pervasive field of virtual Higgs particles. In this image by Maximilien Brice, a person stands in front of the huge ATLAS detector (center, near bottom of frame), one of six detectors being attached to the LHC. This was the February 25, 2008 Astronomy Picture of the Day.

James sent this political cartoon. I’m honestly not sure what it’s supposed to be saying, though. Is Davies suggesting that Bush had something (anything) to do with the Cuban embargo? As I recall, that was JFK and it hasn’t been repealed by any president since. Or is he implying that GW is too dimwitted to understand the headline?

In either case, I thought it was humorous enough (I love political cartoons!) to post.

Here’s a first look at the Quaranta solar-assisted hybrid supercar concept that Italdesign Giugiaro will be taking to the Geneva Motor Show. In an article for Wired, Chuck Squatriglia writes, “Cover it back up, please.”

Personally, I kind of like it. I see it as futuristic and suspect that, like most edgy automobile designs, it will take some getting used to if, in fact, it ever makes it into production. More important, I think, are the performance specs: a mid-engined all-wheel-drive hybrid that accelerates from zero to 62 mph (100 kph) in 4.05 seconds and tops out at 155 mph. As Squatriglia is quick to acknowledge, “That’s Tesla Roadster and Porsche 911 GT3 kind of acceleration…”

“The Quaranta borrows its hybrid powertrain from the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and the Lexus RX400h: a 3.3-liter V-6 and the Hybrid Synergy Drive system with a combined output of 268 horsepower and 213 pound-feet of torque. Italdesign claims the car will return a city/highway average of 33 mpg, and a pair of fuel tanks that together hold about sixteen gallons of gasoline provide a 620-mile range. ‘E-Four’ is, in fact, a fancy name for Toyota’s part-time all-wheel drive system (called ‘4WD-i’ in the Highlander Hybrid), which uses a separate, 68-horsepower electric motor at the rear wheels that kicks in during acceleration or when slippage is detected.”

Suddenly hybrids are looking a lot more attractive, yes?

Got this from James. It was apparently taken in Norfolk, UK. No other info available. Seems kinda sweet, doesn’t it?

Of the three birds I photographed for this short series, this was by far the most uncooperative — he simply refused to look at me or the camera. As a result, all my images of him were “one-eye” captures. Not to worry, though, because I met some nice people at the Folsom Moose Lodge and had fun during the short photo shoot. And I learned something new about three birds I’d not photographed in the wild! It was an enjoyable and educational experience that proved my original point: Photo opportunities are everywhere — we just need to be open to spotting them. And have a camera ready! (Click on thumbnails to enlarge)

Great Horned Owl

Here’s one you may recognize: The Great Horned Owl was first seen in the Virginia colonies and the first published description was made in 1788 by Johann Gmelin. Sometimes known as Hoot Owls, Cat Owls or Winged Tigers, Great Horned Owls are found throughout North America from the northern tree line and then in Central and South America. They’re resident year-round, although birds living in the northern part of the species’ range may migrate south.

Great Horned Owls have large, staring yellow-orange eyes, usually bordered by an orange-buff facial disc. The name is derived from tufts of feathers resembling “horns” which are sometimes referred to as “ear tufts” but have nothing to do with hearing. The large feet are feathered to the ends of the toes, and their wingspan is 36-60 inches. Females are 10-20 percent larger than males.

They hunt by perching on snags and poles and watching for prey, or by gliding slowly above the ground. From high perches they dive down to the ground with wings folded before snatching prey, usually killed instantly when grasped by its large talons. A Great Horned Owl may take prey 2-3 times heavier than itself. They sometimes hunt by walking on the ground to capture small prey or wading into water to snatch frogs and fish. They’ve even been known to walk into chicken coops to take domestic fowl.

A long-lived owl, captive birds have been known to live 29-38 years, and wild owls up to 13 years. Most mortality is related to man — shootings, traps, road kills and electrocutions. Its only natural enemies are other Great Horned Owls and, occasionally, Northern Goshawks during disputes over nest sites. Peregrine Falcons have also been observed attacking Great Horned Owls.